The Competition Council announced it is analyzing the concentration achieved by the takeover of Sport Radio TV Media SRL by Pro TV SA in 2007, as there are suspicions the takeover was not notified to them, although it apparently matched the terms stipulated by legislation in this field.
"Pro TV filed for a concentration in the wake of reorganization, which we accepted, but there are suspicions an unreported takeover seems to have been carried out in 2007", stated Bogdan Chiritoiu, president of the Competition Council. Chiritoiu explained the investigation is not concerned with the matter of competition per se, but the manner the concentration in 2007 was handled.
The investigation was launched last year, and no conclusion has yet been reached. If the conclusion is reached that Pro TV failed to notify the Council, although it should have, the company risks a fine worth up to 1% of its total turnover. The Competition Council’s decision can be challenged in court.
Sport.ro – launched by Adrian Sarbu – was actually the relaunched TV Sport channel, bought from Silviu Prigoana for €4.6 milion.
The number of Competition Council investigations launched in 2009 was double that of the previous year’s; 55 investigations were under way by the end of 2009. 39 of them had been launched in 2009, and the rest in the previous years. “We expect 2010 would see the completion of investigations launched in the past few years”, Chiritoiu said.
Companies the subject of investigations last year included ArcelorMittal, Lafarge Ciment, Billa, Selgros, Mega Image, Metro, Real, Orange, Vodafone, Cosmote, Ozone Laboratories and Pro TV.
